When Robert Richter picked up his mike at The Atwater at Nocatee on a recent Thursday night, he planned to talk about his career in law and his passion for playing the piano. But, the most compelling story was in the audience, where four generations of his Jacksonville family had gathered to cheer him on.
The family, spanning 92 years from Richter’s quick-witted and beautiful mother, Ina Witten Richter, to his 6-month-old granddaughter, Lucy Stevens, had all been born in Jacksonville. They turned this resident feature of Getting to Know You at The Atwater into a remarkable portrait of local lineage and support.
Richter, 67, the in-house lawyer for the American Retirement Association, shared his journey of taking up the piano just a decade ago, a discipline he still pursues with weekly private lessons. He recounted how his children and their spouses once gifted him an intricate Lego Baby Grand Piano, which he spent many months assembling, a symbol of the intersection of one of his many passions and his family.
The support was tangible in the room. Richter’s mother watched intently as his first grandchild, Lucy, who was dressed in a leopard print outfit in a nod to the Jacksonville Jaguars, sat quietly throughout the presentation.
What began as a presentation by one man became a testament to a family, a community and the deep roots that connect them. This story will resonate for quite some time with those who were there to enjoy it.
